Automobile-buffer



T. M. COX.

AUTOMOBILE BUFFER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE H, 1920.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE M. COX, 0F ALBANY, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COX BRASS MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE-BUFFER.

Application filed June 11,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE M. Cox, a citizen of the, United States of America, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Buffers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automoblle buffers such as are adapted to be attached to the front or rear of automobiles.

The object of my invention is to construct a spring buffer of this type which Wlll be simple and economical to construct and which will be of more protection than those types now in use, together with such other elements and combinations as are hereinafter more particularly set forth and clalmed.

The bufiers now in use are usually not more than-two inches in width and when a car is being driven in the business sections of our cities where platform and other types of trucks carrying over-hanging loads, such as lumber or bars of iron or steel are to be encountered, such buffers offer but little protection.

In order to increase the elliciency of the buffer, especially under such conditions, I have invented my improved buffer which is made from the usual fiat spring steel having greater width than thickness but so shaped that when inplace it offers more than triple theusual protection, while adding little or nothing to theweight of the device. At the same time I simplify the manufacture of the device by making the two halves of i the impact receiving member of identical shape.

My improved increased face buffer is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a plan view of my improved increased face buffer.

Fig. II is a rear elevation of Fig. I.

Fig III is a front elevation of the impact receiving member.

Fig. IV is an enlarged sectional elevation along the line C-C on Fig. I, and illustrates a typical installation and the manner of adjustably attaching the buffer to the channeled side bar of an automobile frame.

Fig. V is an enlarged section along the line AA on Fig. IV looking in the direction indicated by the darts.

Fig. VI is an enlarged section along the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 388,322.

line B- -B on Fig. IV looking in the direction indicated by the darts.

The same reference numbers refer to the same parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the impact receiving member comprises two identically shaped sections 1, 1 securely fastened together in' any suitable manner, as by the bolts and nuts 4, 4- so as to form an elongated loop.

Each half of the impact receiving member is formed of a single piece of resilient material, preferably high grade carbon steel having a width several times as 'greatas the thickness thereof, bent across the flat to form a U having unequal legs, the leg 3, being longer than the leg 2. A portion of the leg 3, is offset edgewiseas shown in Figs. II, III and IV.

The two parts of the buffer being of identical form, when the one part is reversed to be joined with the other, the offset portions of the legs 3, will lie on opposite sides of the plane of the loop.

The impact receiving member is adjustably connected to curved resilient supporting members 5, 5 by means of the bolts 6, 6 which extend through the slotted holes 7, 17) in the outer ends of the supporting meme ers.

Attachment plates 8, are adjustably connected to the rear ends of the supporting members 5, by means of bolts 10, which are adapted to be setat any desired position in the slotted hole 11, extending transversely of said plate 8.

Extending from, and at substantially right angles to the side of the plate 8, at or near the ends thereof, are the brackets 9, 9 and between said brackets are suitable holes through which the shanks of the hook-bolts 12, 13 are adapted to pass.

The hook bolt 12, is so desi ned that the hook will receive the lower. ange of the channeledside bar of the automobile frame and allow the point of the hook to contact with the inner surface of both the web and flange near the corner where they join and the shank of the bolt is designed to extend downwardly at an angle to the web of the side bar, passing through the attachment plate 8, supporting member 5, and a truncated fitting or side hill washer 17.

The angle at which the shank is deflected is such as will give a substantially straight pull against the point of the hook when the nut 16, co-acting with the hook-bolt 12, is tightened, and bind the plate 8, and supporting member 5 securely against the corner of the side bar.

14, represents a portion of the channeled side bar of an automobile frame to which the buffer is to be attached.

The method of attaching the bufier to the side bar is clearly illustrated in Figs. IV, V and VI. The hook-bolt 12, is placed in position on the side bar (as shown in Fig. V,) and the attachment plate is slipped over the shank thereof and against the web of the channeled side bar, the brackets on the plate projecting under and contacting with a flange thereof. The buffer supporting members 5, are then sprung in place, the side hill washer 17, and the lock-washer 15, slipped over the shank of the bolt and the nut 16, run 011 and tightened up.

The hook-bolt 13, is then put in place as shown in Fig. VI, and its nut tightened up.

The attachment plate 8, is now held securely against the side bar of the frame.

The .desired elevation of the impact receiving member may now be obtained by rotating the buffer about the bolts 12, which will act as a fulcrum. When the desired location is reached, the tightening of the boltslO, will lock it in that position.

Two holes are preferably provided in the end of the supporting member 5, so as to permit a wider range of adjustment. This method of attaching is simple and secure and provides means whereby the buffer level may be easily adjusted.

.What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automobile bufler, an impact receiving member of resilient material, comprising two identical and substantially U shaped parts with unequal legs, the parts oppositelydisposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loophaving rounded ends.

2. Then automobile buffer an impact receiving member of resilient material, comprising two identical and substantially U shaped parts ,with unequal legs, the parts oppositely disposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loop' having rounded ends, slightly curved in the plane of the loop.

3. In an automobile buffer an impact receiving memberof resilient material, comprisin two identical and substantially U shape parts with unequal legs, the parts oppositely disposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loop having rounded ends; and means for adjustably and removably attaching said impact receiving member to the frame of an automobile so that both sides of the loop will lie in a substan-- tiallyvhorizontal plane across the end and in front of said automobile and parallel to the axles thereof.

4. In an automobile buffer, an impact receiving member of resilient material comprising two identical and substantially U shaped parts with unequal legs, the parts oppositely disposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loop having rounded ends, the shorter legs lying side by side and overlapping each other a comparatively short distance, the longer legs being offset edgewise for a portion of their length and overlapping each other for substantially one half of their total length.

5. In an automobile buffer an impact receiving member of resilient material comprising two identical and substantially U shaped parts with unequal legs, the parts oppositely disposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loop, having rounded ends slightly curved in the plane of the loop; supporting members attached to said impact receiving member, and means for adjustably connecting said supporting members to the side bars of an automobile frame.

6.' In an automobile buffer an impact receiving member of resilient material comprising two identical and substantially U shaped parts with unequal legs, the parts oppositely disposed to and overlapping each other and securely fastened together so as to form an elongated loop having rounded ends slightly curved in the plane of the loop; inwardly and rearwardly extending curved resilient supporting members adjustably connected to said impact receiving member; and means for adjustably connecting said supporting members to the side bar of an automobile frame so that both sides of said loop will lie in a substantially horizontal plane across theend and in front of said automobile and parallel to the axles thereof.

7. In an automobile buffer an impact receiving member of resilient material formed into anelongated loop having rounded ends; resilient curved supporting members adjustably connected to said impact receiving member and having a plurality of holes in the rear ends thereof; an attachment plate adapted to contact with the outside of the web and one flange of the channeled side bar of an automobile frame said plate having holes near each end thereof adapted to receive the shanks of hook-bolts, and a slotted hole transversely of said plate and between said holes; hook-bolts engaging with the flange of said side bar, the shank of one of said bolts passing through said attachment plate, the other passing through said attachment plate and said su porting member; nuts co-acting with sai hook-bolts to bind said attachment plate and said supporting member securely to said side bar.

8. In attaching devices for adjustably attaching automobile buffers to the side frame members of an automobile a hook-bolt having a hook designed to receive'the lower flange of said member the point of said hook designed to engage the inner surface ofboth the web and the flange of said frame member near the point at which they come together, the shank on said hookbolt designed to pass downwardly through one end of an attachment plate engaging the bottom of the flange and the back of the web of the side member, and through the supporting member of the buffer; a truncated fitting surrounding said shank and bearing against said supporting member, said fitting designed to .provide a bearing surface perpendicular to the axis of said shank for a nut;

a nut adapted to co-act with the said hookbolt and clamp said attachment plate and said supporting member firmly against said side frame member; a hook bolt, the hook adapted to engage the edge of the lower' flange of said side frame member, the shank extending through the other end of said attachment plate; a nut co-acting with said shank to clamp said plate securely against said frame member; a bolt extending through one of the holes in the rear end of said supporting member and through a slotted opening in said plate; and a nut adapted to co-act with said bolt and clamp the end of said supporting member and said plate securely to ether, all substantially as shown and descri ed.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

' THEODORE M. COX. 

